Like Mother Like Son
by HaNeul Kim
Summary: His mom was his world and he felt it come crashing down when he was nine. It started with just her forgetting juice pouches in his lunch box but then it became so much more. [Sheriff's name is John.][RIP your feels.]


AN: Bringing this over from AO3. I guess it could be considered a continuation to my other story 'Stiles' nightmare'. This is supposed to be a stand alone though so *shrugs*. This is from season 3, when things were better. Good times. ;;

* * *

It had all started when Stiles had been nine. It had been little things at first, his mom would forget to add a juice box in his lunch or forget some chips or something. Small things, you know? But then... then things had progressed from there. He would be forgotten at the school when his mom was supposed to pick him up or he would go without breakfast and lunch because his mom ended up packing just a juice pouch for him instead of the sandwich, chips, whatever dessert and a drink. He tried not to let it get to him, he really did but about a month after the first incident, he'd been woken up by screams coming from his parents room.

The first time he heard his mom scream, Stiles thought that maybe there was a burglar or something equally as terrible happening in the house (he was a cop's kid so his mind went to the worst case scenario) so he'd grabbed his plastic baseball bat from his toy chest (his mom and dad had gotten it for Christmas the past year) and rushed immediately to the aid of his mother. When he entered the room though, he saw his dad holding his mom close and kissing her over and over again, rocking her back and forth in the same manner as she used to do to him when he'd had a nightmare. Being told to go back to his room, Stiles nodded and did so and everything had been fairly normal until a week later when his mom woke with a start and started to scream loudly into the night once more.

Rushing into his parents room for the second time, the nine year old came upon the scene of his mother thrashing about, hitting his dad with her limbs while shaking her head back and forth. The brunette didn't understand what was happening and started to tear up in confusion. Jackson had told him that only babies cried at their age but his mom was crying right now so he felt the need to cry as well. After all, what kind of child would he be if he didn't feel distressed at his mom's tears? Climbing onto the bed, Stiles curled up to Claudia who had woken up and just held him close while sobbing. John looked at the two and just wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders. They would find out what was happening and then everything would go back to normal... at least, he hoped that things went back to normal.

* * *

Two months later and hearing his mom scream in the middle of the night was becoming a common occurrence. It happened so often now that it no longer caused him to jump out of bed and rush to her side. Don't get him wrong, he still worried about her but now it was just kind of something that they dealt with and it was kinda fine. His parents had gone to the hospital and they said that his mom was just fine; though, they gave her some medicine a week ago to help with the 'night terrors' that she was dealing with. It helped- well, it helped a little bit but not much since she was still waking up three or four times a week but he guessed that it was better than every night.

* * *

Another month had passed and just as Stiles was getting into the habit of dealing with his mom's forgetfulness and violent awakenings from her nightmares, another thing was added to the slowly growing list of things that seemed to be going wrong with Claudia Stilinski. She would sleep walk. At first it wasn't too bad, just getting out of bed and walking to Stiles' room as if to check on him and then going back to bed but soon... soon things started to escalate. It first started with her going down the stairs in her sleep. Claudia Stilinski, while beautiful, was just as clumsy as her son and even while sleeping she managed to take a tumble down the stairs. The noise of a broken lamp had caused John and Stiles to rush down the stairs and come upon the scene of Claudia looking around in a daze, brows drawn together in confusion as she cradled a bleeding hand to her chest.

They had immediately gone to the emergency room and had found out that she'd fractured her wrist. John had to take a month off to help around the house and for a while, everything was fine. Stiles had constant lunches now and his mom was sleeping well enough that nothing seemed to be going wrong and Stiles thought that maybe now things would finally go back to normal.

Unfortunately, Stiles had been wrong and the next thing he knows is that his mom is having black outs and then panicking when she comes to. She'd wonder how she'd gotten to the grocery store when she thought that she was going to pick Stiles up from school. There were other times where she thought that she had paid a bill only for something to be shut off. All of these things had started to pile up on Claudia and she would just stay in bed most days while Stiles read to her, trying to cheer his mom up. She would smile and kiss his forehead, calling him her little ray of sunshine.

* * *

Stiles didn't understand. It had been a year now since his mother had first started to forget things. He was ten now and... it hurt that some days his mother wouldn't even recognize him. She would sometimes ask 'Who are you? Do I know you?' or say things like 'You kind of remind me of my Papa, he has moles just like you!' It was slowly taking a toll on Stiles and he really just wanted his mama back. He wanted the woman who sang constantly while dancing around the kitchen. He wanted the woman who helped him spell things or read to him. He wanted his Daddy to come back home and not see him look so sad. God, he just wanted everything to go back to normal! The ten year old was starting to get tired of having to do the laundry by himself, tired of having to cook meals for his mama and burning his fingers on the stove from being too short to reach the pan. It was to the point, now, that he was having to help his mom (on a good day) take care of their finances. He would have to help her add things up and check and double check things just so they would have electricity and water for the next month.

* * *

Five months later and Stiles wish that he could take back all of the contempt he'd had for the situation back. He sat next to a hospital bed while burying his face into his hands. The doctors had tried to do everything to help his mom but to no avail. She was now forced to stay in bed... stay in the hospital and whither away. It was killing Stiles because he just wanted his mom back. He didn't want to be in the hospital constantly, he just wanted the woman who'd raised him to be back in their house. It was too lonely by himself. His dad was constantly working and he wasn't allowed to go see his mom everyday because she needed as much rest as she could get.

The only reason that Stiles listened was because he was hoping and praying that maybe, just maybe, his mom would get better and come back home. Looking up as a person walked in, he smiled sadly at the nurse who was taking care of his mom. She was a really nice lady named Melissa McCall, he was friends with her son and she would babysit him sometimes. She would always make sure that his mama was comfortable and sometimes bring him a snack.

Looking around the hallway after Melissa had left, Stiles slowly crawled into the bed and sniffled while curling up next to his mom. Hiccuping a bit from trying to hold back his sobs, the tiny brunette began to sing a warbled version of a song his mama used to sing to him whenever he had a cold or just didn't feel good. Looking up, he saw his mom give him a tired smile and began to sing with him. At the end of the song, Stiles wrapped his arms around Claudia and just stayed there, wishing that he could do something to help his most beloved person in the entire world.

* * *

Seven months later and Stiles was turning eleven. He had been promised that his mom could go out with him that day if she felt any better and if he was well behaved. He had gotten the okay from his dad to visit her but when he got there his mom looked so fragile and pale and despite wanting to go have fun; Stiles sat next to her bed and reached for her hand. She was becoming less and less responsive these days and Stiles was worried that there was nothing that they could do for her. Claudia was hardly awake for more than a few hours a day now and she constantly forgot who him and his dad were... always asked for her dad even though he had passed away a year ago.

Slowly, Stiles fell asleep while resting his forehead against his mom's limp hand. He was sure that he would wake up in a few hours and she would be awake. He'd badgered Melissa into letting him bring a cupcake in with a small candle so that he could celebrate his birthday in the room with his mama. Yawning, he relaxed when he felt his mom's fingers stroke his cheek. Yeah, he'd just sleep for a little bit and everything would be fine...

Only... everything wasn't fine because an hour later, he was being moved out of the room. In confusion, he started to flail his limbs, screaming for the person to put him down so that he could be with his mama. It was his birthday and she was supposed to at least stay with him for it! Watching doctors rush into the room, Stiles shook his head while he went limp in the worker's arms. He vaguely recognized Melissa's voice but it didn't matter. His mom... his mom wasn't moving and the doctors were closing the door. No, no, no, no! She... HIS MOM WAS SUPPOSED TO CELEBRATE HIS BIRTHDAY WITH HIM!

Breathing coming out short, he felt the room start to fade out even as he focused in on the door his mother was behind. Stiles felt tears roll down his cheeks as Melissa tried to comfort him and told him to breathe in and out. He couldn't... he couldn't breathe! Was this how his mama felt? No, no... she was supposed to be with him she just couldn't be... he heard Melissa sob while he continued to struggle to catch his breath. Finally, Melissa did something and put a thing to his lips and told him to breathe in deeply. Looking down, he noticed that it was an inhaler like the one Scott had for his asthma.

Sniffling, Stiles looked up brokenly before wailing loudly. He ignored the pitying gazes of the doctors that were walking out of his mom's room. He ignored how Melissa's shoulders were shaking. He ignored everything as he squirmed his way out of his best friend's mom's arms and ran to his own mother's room. The eleven year old only vaguely realized that his mom was no longer connected to machines as he climbed onto the bed. He felt the last bits of warmth leaving his mom's body as he lay there and cried. It wasn't fair!

* * *

Two weeks later and Stiles was standing on a plot of land while holding his dad's hand. He stared blankly at the casket that was being lowered down into the ground and he just wanted to open it up and crawl into it in order to be with his mom again. His mom was gone... his dad blamed him sometimes after drinking amber liquid from a large bottle. Stiles knew that his dad didn't mean anything but he couldn't help but let go of his dad's hand as the memory resurfaced. Two nights ago his dad had said something along the lines of 'How the hell am I supposed to take care of you? You're a hyperactive little bastard and you did this to your mom!' Stiles knew that it wasn't true! Melissa said so one night when she had come over after his dad had drank a little more than he should have that day and had forgotten him at the school.

Stiles wasn't sure how he was going to make things okay with his dad but... he would try his best. Sniffling, he saw people come up and give his dad pats on the back and they placed their hands on his head. They said everything was going to be alright and Stiles was going to make sure that they were proven right. He would take care of himself and his dad. He'd make sure that they got out of this okay.

* * *

Six years later and Stiles was waking up screaming and his dad was holding him. His mind automatically went back to his mom but he thought nothing of it. No, the nightmares were caused by the Nemeton and being pushed to the brink of death. That was why he was freaking out. He held back a sob even as he let his tears fall as his dad held onto him. He was getting so tired of everything and he just wanted to do whatever it took to get back to normal. He was so tired.

* * *

Stiles clenched his hands into fists as he told Scott what was happening. How his mother had died and how he was having the same symptoms. He knew that this could possibly be because of that god forsaken tree but a part of him worried that it wasn't just because of some magical, druidic tree. Swallowing thickly, he told Scott about how his mother suffered from frontotemporal dementia and that he had all the signs of having it. The black-outs, the mood swings; sleepwalking and waking up in the dead of sleep screaming himself awake.

Looking over at where his dad stood, he closed his hands into fists and squeezed tightly while trying not to think of how his dad would react should he suffer the same way as his mom. His dad had always said 'like Mother like Son' in an affectionate way when he was growing up but now... now he feared that he would die the very same way that his mom had. Stiles loved that he was like his mother in some aspects, it felt like keeping her memory alive... but dying from the same exact disease? He didn't want to make his dad go through that again. Hell, he didn't want to have Melissa go through that again.

Looking up when Scott had said that he would do something if he did have the disease, it caused him to relax and tense up at the same time. He was glad that Scott, his brother in all but blood, was willing to go against his moral compass and would bite someone. Scott was willing to turn him but he had been telling the truth back when he had told Peter that he didn't want the bite. Sure, he'd been jealous and maybe that had messed with his heart rate or whatever but he fully enjoyed being human! But... but if taking the bite was the difference between staying with his dad or making the Sheriff suffer the same way a second time, Stiles would gladly take the bite.

Wrapping his arms around Scott tightly, the freckled teen tried not to sob hysterically into the other teen's shoulder. He just stayed there and squeeze tightly while Scott's hand went up to rub his back with his thumb. "Alright... I'm gonna be right out there, alright?" Scott asks and Stiles nods before giving his best friend a friendly slap on the arm. "Alright, buddy." He mutters before laying down.

Right before he goes under the machine, he makes up his mind. As much as he loves his mom... and as much as he loved how his dad said 'like Mother like Son' he was not going to die like his mother. He would live for her and for his dad and for everyone else in his life. He would protect everyone from the darkness within him and he would beat it. There was no way that he could let whatever was happening to him win. Tensing under the machine, he twitches and tries to move around before being told to stay still. As he looks around the dome area above his head, the teen tenses just as everything fades to darkness around him and the sound of clanging echoes through his ears.

* * *

AN: Made some minor edits to this version- it's different than the one on AO3. Also, show of hands of who else cried? Cause I cried while re-reading this. ;;


End file.
